1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to power combiners and power dividers. More specifically, this invention relates to power combiners/dividers having multiple coaxial ports and a single waveguide port for use at RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave frequencies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Power combiners and dividers have long been key elements in RF, microwave and millimeter-wave systems. There are numerous examples of waveguide power combiners/dividers having single-conductor waveguide inputs and output. Perhaps the best known example is the binary waveguide power divider of the type used to feed planar array antennas. As such networks are constructed from numerous Y or T waveguide junctions, they tend to be bulky, especially at lower frequencies, and cannot accommodate arbitrary numbers of outputs.
Power combiners having dual-conductor coaxial inputs and output are also known in the art. Such combiners are unsuitable for high-power applications in which the outputs of a large number of low-to-medium power sources are to be combined to obtain a single high-power output. At sufficiently high power levels, a coaxial transmission line becomes an unsuitable medium over which to transport electromagnetic energy. In such situations, a waveguide output is required.